The Next Best Thing
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: In this, the sequel to "It Helps To Cry", Nick tries to investigate mysterious happenings all around the world and exploring his growing feelings for Alex, all while trying to cope with the loss of his parents.
1. Camera Crazy

**6:27 AM**, _Beverly Hills Villa_

It was early morning on a Saturday.

Alex and I were sleeping.

What we didn't know was that there was someone coming for us.

As if I didn't have _enough_ problems with that last week.

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(Alex said to me, "Truly good stories always have sequels." That definitely applies to this story.)

JETIX Productions and ) presents:

_Totally Spies!_ in: "The Next Best Thing" (takes place during Season 3)

This Chapter: October 11, 2004.

Summary: In the sequel to "It Helps To Cry", as mysterious events pop up all over the world, Nick tries to balance that and exploring his growing feelings for Alex, all while trying to cope with the loss of his parents.

Official characters and show copyright Marathon. Original characters and story copyright JETIX Productions.

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Chapter 1: Camera Crazy

As I started to wake up, I noticed a silver blur directly in my face. I opened my eyes a little more, seeing that the silver blur- was a camera lens!

Alex woke up and screamed- there was at least 3 camera crews in the room, all filming us. Naturally, this annoyed the heck out of me.

"The surprised wake-up call! I _love_ it!" the first cameraman said all professional-like as he shoved his camera at us.

I looked right into the lens and said, "Last I checked, Clover didn't authorize you guys to film our private lives. And, for that matter, neither did I! Now get that camera out of my face! We're trying to sleep!" With that, I punched the camera lens, the momentum causing the cameraman to fall.

"Anger! Such jealousy! It's _perfect_!" he said.

I groaned. "All right, you asked for it. Alex, can you open the window?"

"Sure," she said, opening the window behind us as my eyes glowed a fierce yellow. Instantly, all the camera crews in the room became enveloped in the same color. I raised my hand, taking the camera guys with it. And, finally, I thrust my hand towards the open window, and they all flew through it, crashing onto the ground below.

"I tried to tell them," I said as my eyes stopped glowing.

You're probably wondering how I did that telepathy-type trick, right? Well, long story short, I developed these strange psychic powers over the course of last week during many battles with our arch-nemesis, Tim Scam, after he had killed my parents. I still don't know how he found out about my family. Anyways...

"Wait. If there were that many of those guys in here, then how many are there filming the others?!" Alex exclaimed.

"What is going _on_ today?" I said to myself as we raced for Clover's bedroom. There were 4 crews here, but thank goodness she was sleeping. I walked up to the closest cameraman, grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around, and said, "If you know what's good for you, you'll turn that camera off and leave Clover alone." That got them out of there. Suddenly, I got an idea. "Sam takes her shower by now, right?" "Yeah. Why?" "I've got an idea. Follow me," I said, heading for the bathroom. Alex followed suit.

When we reached the bathroom, we saw at least 5 camera crews creeping towards the shower where Sam was washing up. "Ok, Alex, wait here, I'll be right back." I opened my Compowder, pressed a few buttons, and turned, _Power Rangers Zeo_ style, into an exact replica of one of the cameramen. I walked up to them, and said in a very deep voice, "Attention!" All the crews turned and faced me. "The boss wants a report filed right away!" "Yes, sir!" they all shouted, filing out of the bathroom. As I changed back to my regular self, Sam poked her head out of the shower, wondering just what was going on.

I looked at Sam, and said, "I know it's unorthodox, but it's the only way I could think of to get rid of those guys."

**12:00 PM**, _Beverly Hills Villa_

Around lunchtime, the craziness started again. The doorbell rang just as I was taking a bite of my turkey sub. I opened the door to reveal a guy who was selling encyclopedias. "Hi! Can I interest you in-" I slammed the door in his face. "No." I walked back to the table.

Later, as we got ready to go swimming, I had just finished getting dressed for the pool, when I heard Alex screaming. I rushed into the ladies' room, only to see another cameraman focusing on Alex, who apparently was still changing into her swimsuit. (I figured that's why she'd screamed.) "Hey, buster!" I said. The cameraman looked at me just as I raised my hand. "Keep your 'candid camera' away from my girlfriend!" I zipped forward in a flash, arriving behind the lone cameraman. I spun around, and in a flash, I performed a psychic energy burst that sent the cameraman and his camera flying into the pool with a big SPLASH. "That should teach ya," I said just as Alex emerged from the locker room, decked out in a two-piece yellow swimsuit. (It's the one she wore during Season 1's "Vacation/The Getaway") "Hey, Alex," I said. "Hey, thanks for helping me back there," she said as she hugged me. "No problem, Alex, it's what I do," I said, hugging her back.

The problem just seemed to get worse as the day progressed. The cameramen just wouldn't leave us alone. I caught them spying on Clover in the bathroom after we had finished swimming; I'd seen them trying to butt in on Sam's study session just a few hours ago; I'd even caught them trying to interrupt Alex's Tai Kwon Do lessons. (I didn't really bother with the last one, though. I really wanted to see a camera guy get thwacked by Alex's flying feet.) Around 7 that night, I couldn't take it anymore. "What is your _problem?!_ Why are you guys filming us?!" "We received an order from our boss to film the 4 of you in your daily lives." "But, you didn't authorize it with us, did you?!" I raised my hand, which was now glowing a psychic yellow. "Now leave us alone!" I waved my hand in a circle, and the cameramen disappeared in a yellow flash. "What just _happened_?" Clover asked. "Wish I knew," Sam said, still channel-surfing. Then, Alex noticed I was gone. "Hey, where'd Nick go?" she asked. "I think he went to his room," Clover said, reaching for the popcorn. "Hey! Come on, share!" Sam exclaimed. "I'd better see if he's all right," Alex said, starting for my room just as Sam and Clover started arguing about the popcorn.

"Nick?" Alex said as she knocked on my door. "Yeah?" I responded. "Can I come in?" "Sure." She came inside and sat beside me. My TV was on, tuned to a sports channel. "Still bummed about your parents?" "Yeah...I still don't understand how he found out about my family. If we'd have stopped him earlier, my parents would probably still be alive right now..." My eyes started watering up upon saying that. Alex leaned in closer and said, "It's all right, Nick. We'll help you get through this. I promise." I looked at her for a few seconds and then said, "Thanks, Alex. You really are a friend." I then felt her lips brush against my own (A/N: I'm no good at these scenes, but I'm doing my best) for a few seconds, and when she pulled back, she said, "Maybe even more." "Yeah...that'd be nice, too." She hugged me and said, "Nick, I love you. I always have. We'll get through this. I promise." I hugged her back, smiling like I had been days before this stuff has started. "Thanks. It's nice to know someone's there for me now. I love you too, Alex." Clover then shouted, "Nick, Alex, get over here! I don't think you're gonna believe this!" interrupting our moment.

We raced to the doorway, where Clover and Sam were standing in front of two adults that looked very familiar to me. Could they be...? "Oh, my..." Alex gasped. "Mom? Dad?" I asked.

Next Time:

Chapter 2: "The Parent Trap"

Nick is overjoyed to finally be reunited with his supposed-dead parents. But, about a week into the reunion, Alex starts noticing that something is amiss with Nick's parents. Could the two adults be hiding more than what meets the eye?

Author's Note: Ok, that's chapter 1 down. Man, I haven't done a sequel since my early writing days! Ok, leave a review when you're done reading! See ya next chapter! - SuperSaiyanZelda4321 )


	2. The Parent Trap

**7:05 PM**, _Beverly Hills Villa_

My parents were standing right in front of the doorway.

I thought they were dead.

I figured, "Something's not right here..."

I didn't know just how right I really was.

(Clover sat with me once and explained to me about the supernatural: how weird it is, how it can pop up in front of you with little to no warning at all. I never figured that something like that would happen now.)

JETIX Productions and ) presents:

_Totally Spies!_ in: "The Next Best Thing" Chapter 2

Official characters and show copyright Marathon. Original characters and story copyright JETIX Productions.

This Chapter: October 18th, 2004.

Author's Notes: The story's first mission begins in this chapter. Oh, and I'm gonna break out from my usual writing style thanks to a tip a reviewer gave me. You'll see in the story. Enjoy, everyone!

Chapter 2: The Parent Trap 

I couldn't believe it: my mom and dad were at the door, just a week after they had presumably died from an attack by our arch-nemesis, Tim Scam. The only question I could ask was "How did you..." and even then, I couldn't get it all out. My mom and dad finished it for me.

"You remember when the heart monitor flatlined?" Rhea, my mom, asked me.

"Um...yeah," I replied.

"The doctors figured out that someone had messed with the machines there. Probably your nemesis, Tim Scam."

This surprised me. "Wait. Mom, how do you know about our spy life?"

"I told her everything you told me, son," Jeff, my dad, replied. "Just to be safe."

"Good thing, too," Sam continued. "Just don't let that information fall into the hands of anyone we don't trust."

"You 4 must be real lucky, being able to save the world each week, even on a school night!"

"Yeah," Alex said, "The only problem is the way Jerry transports us."

All of a sudden, I heard a beep.

"Figures," I said to myself as the ground underneath me, Sam, Alex, and Clover opened up.

I was ready this time, though, as I focused my psychic energy on the hole and covered it in a wave of yellow energy.

"Hahahaha...it tickles!" Alex said, laughing.

"It does that sometimes," I said.

Then, I saw the psychic barrier disappear.

I groaned. "Why do I _even_ trust Jerry with this kind of information?"

Sam and Clover had already fallen in, but Alex was losing her balance, and fast. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled in the other direction as hard as I could. Eventually, we toppled back and crashed headlong into the carpet of the living room, my arms still around Alex.

"Aw, thanks, Nick, I owe you big-time," she said as we got up.

It was then that Mandy, of all people, had to pass by and throw something through our open window. Just as the object (which looked strangely familiar to a rock) was about to hit me, Alex rushed forward and shoved me out of the way, both of us crashing onto the floor again just as the rock crashed into the kitchen and skidded to a stop.

I brushed myself off and said, "Wow. Didn't think you'd pay me back so soon."

"Well, we'd better go see what Jerry wants," Alex said, helping me up and walking to the hole that led to WOOHP.

"Shall we?" I nodded, and Alex jumped into the hole.

"Nick?" Mom said, and I looked at her. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, mom. Shouldn't take too long. It's usually in and out with Jerry."

I turned to the hole, then... "And, mom? Dad?"

"Yes, son?" Dad replied.

"_Please_ don't get yourselves killed while I'm gone, okay?" With that, I jumped, did a somersault, and dived into the hole, just missing the evil smirks on their faces...

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks...for everything..."

She reached over and hugged me. "It's no problem. Anything for a best friend, right?"

"That's true," I said just as we reached our destination- Jerry's office in WOOHP.

"Hello, ladies. _And_ gentlemen," Jerry said.

"Good thing you caught that," I said as video footage began playing on the screen behind him. I looked up at G.L.A.D.I.S., Jerry's new "assistant". Lately, I'd began to notice that it acted like it had a mind of its own. So much for the "microchippy personality" theory, I thought.

"Recently, all across the world, parents of children all across the world have been acting very strangely."

"Like, _how_ strangely?" I asked.

Jerry switched the footage. "For example, this one mother in Toronto has been acting like a child and doing some of the weirdest things I've ever seen."

"Oh, _that's_ how strange," I said.

"You'll be departing momentarily to see how this adds up. And now, if you'll follow me, I'll give you your gadgets."

We followed Jerry over to a console, where a panel littered with assorted devices popped out.

He picked up the first one. "Laser lipstick."

I noticed something on the tube. "It says '2.0'."

"Yes, it now has added power just in case you need it."

He then walked up to what seemed like an ordinary curling iron. "The electromagnetic curling iron."

"Hey, that thing might be useful again!" Alex said. (A/N: This gadget is from Season 3's "Computer Creep Much?")

Then, a mechanical hand reached out, handing me another gadget. "This is a new gadget, fresh from R & D," G.L.A.D.I.S.'s voice rang out. "The helicopter-blade cooling fan. Just press the red button and the fan blades turn into a mini-copter."

I looked at the new gadget in my hand, then turned to Jerry and said, "I take back what I said 2 weeks ago. G.L.A.D.I.S. _does_ seem to have a mind of its own."

Jerry then walked up to another gadget, one that looked like a pair of sunglasses. "The see-through X-ray sunglasses."

Only one more gadget was left. It looks like a star, I thought. "This is another new gadget fresh from the labs- the homing-signal star boomerang. Just program any set coordinates and throw it, and the boomerang will fly to there."

When we had packed up our gadgets, I turned to the girls, and said, "Well, if we're all equipped, let's get to it!"

I saw Jerry reaching for a button on his desk. "Don't you _even_-" but, we were already falling through the floor before I could finish.

**6:54 AM**, _Toronto, Canada_

I looked up at the building of Ms. Sarah Fairweather, the mother that Jerry told us about at the mission briefing. "According to the information that Jerry gave us, her apartment is at the top floor of the building."

"So, how are we supposed to get there? We don't have our jetpack backpacks! And I am _not_ climbing up 40 flights of stairs..." Alex exclaimed.

I brought out the helicopter-blade cooling fan and said, "By going up! Everyone, hold on tight!" When we were all latched on and secured, I pressed the red button and the mini-fan turned into a helicopter blade. I then pressed the "up" key, and we started to rise, slowly at first, but picking up speed by the second. Soon, we were flying along, or should I say, up, towards the target destination.

"Hey, this breeze feels good!" Clover noted.

"I guess it does. Ok, now let's see what we're dealing with," I said, sporting the X-ray glasses and activating them. In an instant, I was looking through the wall, seeing Ms. Fairweather spinning around on the floor, acting like a 2-year-old. "Ok, now there's something you don't see every day."

With that, I waved my hand, which was now glowing a psychic yellow, and instantly, a hole big enough to fit all of us appeared where I was staring. "Ok, you guys are gonna have to jump to get over there," I said.

Soon enough, Sam and Clover were inside, and Alex was about to jump, when the fan stopped and turned off.

"What?" Alex exclaimed.

"I wish Jerry would get some kind of extended warranty for these things!" I exclaimed. We dived for the opening. I rolled in neatly (kind of like the way they do it in the movies), but Alex had just missed and was now holding on for dear life. I grabbed her hands and pulled, but it didn't seem to be enough. It felt as if something was pulling her down. I then looked behind me, and I saw the mother pushing me, saying, "I want to play horsey!"

"Well, ma'am, if you want to 'play horsey', make sure we're not dangling from a ledge first!" I said, but with one swift push, she slipped and fell to the floor, sending me off balance and sending us tumbling out the open hole.

It all seemed to go by so fast; the air was rushing by us as we fell down the flights of windows to what seemed to be our end. "Aw, man! This is not how I wanted to go!" Alex exclaimed, tears streaming from her eyes. My face, however, turned very serious.

_I'm not going down like this,_ I thought. _I never have, and I never will!_

With that, I raised my hand into the air and produced a ball of psychic energy about the size of a bowling ball.

"Wow," Alex said softly, her eyes still full of tears.

"_Terra Force!_" I exclaimed, throwing the energy ball down towards the ground below. About 3 seconds after I had thrown it, the ball expanded, stretched, and became a round disk-shaped platform the size of that rotating sky-high restaurant in Wisconsin. (I forgot what they called it.) We eventually landed on the psychic platform, bouncing a few times before settling in the center. It was then that I noticed that Alex's eyes were still closed. "Um, Alex? You can open your eyes now."

She did, looking around at our psychic landing pad. I then noticed my hand was right next to hers.

"Hey, Nick?" Alex said.

"Yeah?" I replied.

She then took my hand into her own as she spoke.

"Nick, ever since that day when your mom was attacked, I've wondered about the strange feelings that kept flowing through me. I knew it was some kind of crush, but not the kind me and the girls had on David, but something...more, you know?"

"Yeah. I think I know what you mean," I said.

"I never really knew what it was, but I think I figured it out. Ever since we met, I've had something of a crush on you. Lately, it's become something more. And I'm glad."

She hugged me and continued. "I've never met a kid like you, Nick. You're charming, you're powerful, you know what a girl likes..."

"I think it's the last one I'm proudest of," I said.

"I'm so happy to be here with you, you know that?"

"So am I, Alex. So am I."

I hugged her back. We stayed in that position for a while until we heard Sam and Clover shouting over a whirlwind of noises coming from the top floor.

"We'd better help them," I said, raising my hand into the air. Our psychic pad started floating up. I brought out my Compowder and opened it up, dialing Sam. "Sam, what's the verdict?"

"You're alive?!" came her voice from the other end.

"So is Alex," I replied.

"We were just talking about something," she said.

"What've you got?" I said.

"Clover found a microchip on the lady's neck! I'll bet that's what's making her act like this!" Sam's voice rang, then Clover's came.

"Try using the electromagnetic curling iron thingy!"  
  
"Got it, Clover," I said, closing the compowder just as our pad came to a stop at top floor level with the chaos. I brought up the curling iron, aiming it for Ms. Fairweather's neck. "Sorry, ma'am, this is for your own good." I spotted the microchip and fired, sending an electromagnetic energy beam flying for the chip. It struck and short-circuited the chip, causing the lady to fall unconscious onto the carpet. "She should be okay when she wakes up, other than the fact that she's gonna have a nasty headache," I noted, dialing Jerry.

"What do you have, Spies?" Jerry's image popped up on my Compowder screen.

"We found a strange microchip on the woman's neck. I think that's what made her act like this. I'm sending it to WOOHP for analysis," I said, placing the microchip on the transport module and hitting "ENTER", transporting the chip to WOOHP.

"In the meantime, Spies, why don't you get back to school?"

"Oh, crud! You're right!" I said, shutting the compowder.

We all left the building, just barely missing the evil smirk on the seemingly unconscious Mrs. Fairweather.

Next Time

Chapter 3: "A World of Trouble"

The Spies return to their villa only to find it trashed. As they search the house, they find a shocking secret that surprises them all.

Ok, see ya next chapter! – SuperSaiyanZelda4321 )


	3. A World of Trouble, Part 1

**3:12 PM**, _Beverly Hills Villa_

We had just reached our home after a usual day at school.

What happened next?

Well, you're about to find out.

(The world is sometimes really strange. There are things you don't understand, people who you know even though you've never met them. It's part of a never-ending cycle. And I thought _I_ had it bad with this.)

JETIX Productions and ) presents:

_Totally Spies!_ in: "The Next Best Thing" Chapter 3

This Chapter: October 21st, 2004

Chapter 3 Synopsis: When the Spies return from school to their villa, they find it trashed. As they investigate, they find a shocking secret that surprises them all.

Official characters and show copyright Marathon. Original characters and story copyright JETIX Productions.

Chapter 3: A World of Trouble, Part 1 

As I opened the door, I noticed something odd- our villa was in shambles!

"What the..." Alex exclaimed.

"Who did this?!" I said. I then caught wind of my parents, situated in the center of the mess.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"Sure, _son_," Mom said with a hint of creepiness in her voice.

"Never been better," Dad said.

"What's up with their voices? Did someone take them to charm school while we were away?" Clover asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "it sounds like they aren't even aware of the fact that someone trashed our home!"

"Well, of course we're aware of it," Mom said in a sultry tone, and then- it all fell into place. My facial expression turned serious. "You two did this, didn't you?"

Sam, Alex, and Clover all gasped in surprise.

"Yes, we did it. That's our job," Dad said, throwing a knife at me on the word "job". I rolled onto the floor just in time, as the knife flew over me and stuck into the kitchen wall.

"What happened to Nick's parents?" Alex asked.

"Those aren't my parents, Alex. My _real_ parents wouldn't do this!" I said to her.

In a flash, I brought out the electromagnetic curling iron, set it to full power, and aimed at my "parents". If I could hit them with this, we could buy some time. Just as Mom charged, I focused, sighted, and fired. The beam flew so fast that Mom didn't even see it before it slammed into her, sending her flying back as fast as she'd came. That's when I noticed something: Mom's eyes had gone blank when the electromagnetic beam had hit her, kind of like...

...a robot. "That's it!" I shouted.

"What?" Sam stated.

"These guys are just robotic! That gives me an idea. Sam, toss me the laser lipstick! Alex, you give me the Wind-Tunnel! I've got something that'll blow these freaks away!"

Sam and Alex tossed me said gadgets, and I proceeded to link them up with the curling iron, placing the laser lipstick just above the barrel for the EM beams and the Wind Tunnel 3000 into a slot just under the control panel. I then brought out the helicopter-blade cooling fan and attached it to the underside of the laser cannon on the curling iron. I held out the enormous cannon and aimed it at the robo-dad.

"What is this?" my 'dad' said.

At that moment, Clover somersaulted forward, tossing me a pair of wings from our new jetpack backpacks. I figured she'd made a stop at WOOHP. I grabbed the wings, placed them on the sides of the cannon, then aimed back at dad. The girls all joined me and each held onto a part of the cannon, Sam and Alex holding the jetpack wings, Clover holding onto a side handle and me holding the main handle, my finger on the firing trigger.

"What is that thing?" 'Dad' said in shock.

"I'd like to introduce you to WOOHP's newest, and very first combo gadget- the Vortex Blaster," I said, turning a dial to full power. I then pressed the red button on the cooling fan and the blades extended to the length of the blaster.

"Let's take care of this robo-freak for good!" Alex said.

"Ready!" we all shouted.

'Dad' sunk to the floor. "Forgive me, Tim Scam. I have failed you!"

"_Fire!!!!_" we all shouted, as I pulled the trigger.

Once I pushed the button, the helicopter blades started spinning. 2 seconds later, the electromagnetic curling iron, laser lipstick, and Wind Tunnel 3000 all fired into the spinning fan blades. The blades absorbed the energy, then fired it out as a rapidly spinning circle of energy beams powered by a huge gust of wind. The powerful blast struck 'Dad' and sent him flying out an open window, his robotic circuits shorting out. As we held the Vortex Blaster triumphantly, 'Dad' hit the ground and exploded in a final blaze of glory. _Well, that's that, robo-dad,_ I thought.

As the Vortex Blaster disengaged and separated into its original components, my Compowder rang. I opened it; Jerry was on the line. "What you got?" I asked.

"WOOHP's got the analysis back from the microchip you 4 sent in. It appears to be some sort of brain-controlling device," Jerry explained.

"If that's the case, then I think I know who's controlling all the microchipped people," I said.

"Oh, and by the way, Spies, great work testing out the Vortex Blaster."

This threw me for a loop. "How'd you know..."

"I watched you 4 via the telly. Excellent work, Spies. We've been trying to come up with a compatible set of gadgets to create the actual blaster."

"I see. Well, we've got to clean up here. Someone trashed our home. Nick out," I said, closing the Compowder.

"I should have known Tim Scam was behind this," Sam said, brushing dust off of her spy suit.

"I wonder how he escaped?" I said, placing the electromagnetic curling iron in my backpack and walking outside to the remnants of my 'dad', Alex following me. There was some kind of communicator lying among the wreckage.

I picked it up and it turned on, Tim Scam popping up on the screen. "You again," I said angrily.

"Well, well, look who we have here. I see you've defeated my strongest robotic parents, designed to make children's lives miserable," Tim said.

"Figures. You won't get away with this, Scam!" Alex exclaimed.

"Let's settle this. Right here, _right now_," I said.

I then saw a mechanical claw shooting from the device and planting something on the roof of the villa.

"Patience, child. We'll meet some other time. Oh, and speaking of time..."

A countdown started up.

_10..._

"What's with the countdown thingy?" Alex said.

_9..._

Suddenly, it hit me. "Oh, my god..." I said.

"What? What's wrong?" Alex said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

_8..._

"We have to evacuate the villa! Scam's gonna blow it up!" I exclaimed.

_7..._

"Sam! Clover!" Alex shouted at the top of her lungs.

_6..._

Sam and Clover turned around quickly when they heard Alex's voice.

_5..._

"What's up, Alex?"

_4..._

"Guys! Get out of there! Tim Scam's trying to blow the place up!" Alex shouted.

_3..._

"Come on, Sam!!" Clover shouted, running for the door.

_2..._

Sam deftly kicked the door down, clearing the way.

_1..._

Sam and Clover rolled across the ground, getting to a safe distance.

_0._

At that count, the villa exploded in a blaze of orange, red and yellow, igniting the early afternoon sky. When the blast cleared, we all looked at the explosion site; the villa was nothing but rubble now.

"It's gone," Sam said slowly.

"Nick's parents are gone..." Clover said.

"...and now our home is destroyed," Alex said, her voice breaking up.

"This week just keeps getting worse," I said.

Next Time

Chapter 4: "A World of Trouble, Part 2" 

With their home destroyed, the Spies gear up for a 'round-the-world trip to find Tim Scam and stop him once and for all. Along the way, Nick discovers powers even _he_ never knew he had, and a bond of friendship with his 3 friends that's even stronger than his love for Alex keeping them together throughout all of this...

Author's Notes: I'm glad I'm typing this in Study Hall at school. This story's taking quite a twist. See ya next time! – SuperSaiyanZelda4321 of JETIX Productions


	4. A World of Trouble, Part 2

_(Flashback)_

_0._

_At that count, the villa exploded in a blaze of orange, red and yellow, igniting the early afternoon sky. When the blast cleared, we all looked at the explosion site; the villa was nothing but rubble now._

"_It's gone," Sam said slowly._

"_Nick's parents are gone..." Clover said._

"_...and now our home is destroyed," Alex said, her voice breaking up._

"_This week just keeps getting worse," I said._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(As they say, all good things must come to an end. And I think it's about time to wrap this story up.)

JETIX Productions presents:

_Totally Spies!_ in: "The Next Best Thing" Chapter 4

This Chapter: April 19th, 2005

Summary: With their home destroyed, the Spies gear up for a 'round-the-world trip to find Tim Scam and stop him and his new time plans once and for all. Along the way, Nick discovers powers even he never knew he had, and a bond of friendship with his 3 friends that's even stronger than his love for Alex keeping them together throughout all of this...

Author's Note: SO sorry for the long wait. I've just been so busy with my recent stories (_Sailor Moon R: Siren Squad_, the work-in-progress _W.i.t.c.h. Adventures_, etc.) that I've neglected my older ones. I finally decided that it's about time for me to wrap this story up. Without any more further ado, please enjoy the final chapter of "The Next Best Thing".

Note: There's gonna be a preview of my next Totally Spies story, "Reflections from the Ice", at the end of this story.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 4: A World of Trouble, Part 2

"And that's how it happened, Jerry," I said.

All 4 of us were in Jerry's office, explaining the events of the day to our commander. And believe me, I was now determined than ever to stop our arch-nemesis, Tim Scam. In just under 2 weeks, our nemesis had killed my parents, nearly killed my girlfriend Alex, and destroyed our villa. It was almost too much to bear.

"Yeah. This week is getting worse by the second," Alex's voice rang out.

"Do you have any idea where Scam's hiding out?" Sam, the intellectual, asked.

Jerry did some typing on his computer. "It appears that Scam is hiding in Saudi Arabia. We've gotten word that he's tinkering with a new type of mechanics there."

"Cool," Clover, our resident fashion-queen, said with a snap. "It's time to bring this madness to a close. So, Jerry, is it time for our gadgets?"

"NO!"

I found myself snapping to my feet as soon as I'd said that. Anger was swelling up within me. It must have been visible, because my 3 female compatriots were staring wide-eyed at me.

"Nick?" all 3 said together in surprise.

I didn't know it at the time, but my psychic powers had manifested and surrounded me in a golden glow. The energy was moving my clothes around as if wind was flowing. My hair had thickened, was standing up, and had turned yellow because of my powers.

(Author's Note: It's not a Super Saiyan, before you ask.)

"No gadgets. Not this time. We do this alone. We'll show that creep what friendship and love really is!" I found myself saying.

I turned back to normal. All 3 girls got to their feet and stood around me.

"Okay then, lead the way," Clover simply stated, smiling at me. I raised my hand, and we became encased in a yellow orb of light that teleported us away.

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_6:42 AM, _**Saudi Arabia Secret Hideout**

In the forests of Saudi Arabia, a bright yellow orb of light appeared, bringing us with it. As the orb dissipated, we decided to split up and flank the spherical fortress. We charged when I gave the signal and busted through the rather flimsy walls.

"Ha! Too easy!" Sam exclaimed.

Something hit me. "Almost _too_ easy," I said. Just then, a large trap door opened below us. There was electricity bolting across every square inch of the hole, providing no way to get through.

"Figures," I said. I braced myself, then I felt a super-charged shock for the briefest second, then...

...then, there was nothing.

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I slowly opened my eyes to find us in Tim Scam's lair, with a portal to some weird place open in the foreground. I also briefly noticed a set of gemstones in a glass casing.

"What are you up to, Scam?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm just messing with the time portals, finding a way to get rid of you once and for all," the mad villain replied.

"Uh-huh. Listen, we've kicked your butt 5 times over. What makes you think we won't do it again?" I said, getting to my feet, Alex soon following.

"Because this time, I've altered history to make sure you never get in my way again! And I've done it all thanks to the Psy-Stones!"

I then noticed something: Sam and Clover weren't standing beside us.

"Before you ask, I've already erased your friends from history. I just have to get rid of you two," Scam said, the portal displaying a new image: the day...

...the day when Alex and I first met!

"No!" I said, charging for Scam. "You're not messing with history any longer!"

I shoved Scam away from the portal, but in doing so, I lost my balance and fell into the portal myself.

"Nick!" Alex shouted, following my trail into the portal.

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_Sometime in the distant future_

Alex and I both stumbled out of the portal with a loud crash. I looked up at our surroundings; this was definitely not right. Everything was so...so, so...

...so futuristic.

"Are we in the future?" Alex said slowly.

"Looks like it," I said, but I was cut off by a sharp jolt in the back. I spun around to see a man in a _freaky_ suit. He was holding a taser.

"Who are you? Why are you not wearing the uniform of our leader?" the man said in a very rude tone.

"Cause I don't know who this 'leader' is! Now get out of my way!" I said, using a psychic burst to knock the man back.

"Oh, a wise guy with powers, huh?" the man said, activating a communicator. "Master Scam, we have two rebels in Sector Alpha-9. Should I send backup?"

"Backup is on the way. I've sent Squad X-2 to bring them in," Tim Scam's unmistakable voice rang out.

"No...freaking...way," Alex said slowly.

"Tim Scam did it? He conquered the world!" I exclaimed, not knowing whether to believe this or not.

Soon enough, said squad arrived, led by a married couple who looked astoundingly familiar to me.

"I don't believe it. Mom? DAD?" I said. The couple just moved in.

"Our son was nothing more than a stupid rebel. Our leader killed him long before he conquered the world," Mom said.

"Oh, man," I said softly before embracing Alex as the troop moved closer.

"The glorious leader will destroy all who oppose him," Dad said.

Something was swelling up inside me; Alex knew it was sadness.

"Troop X-2, exterminate them," Dad said, and the troop moved in even closer, their weapons set to "Kill".

"LEAVE US ALONE!" I shouted with tears in my eyes, and a glowing psychic field sprang up, growing in size rapidly and knocking the troop into the sky.

"Nick? Are...are you okay?" Alex asked me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Alex...I-I h-h-hate this w-w-world...I...I w-w-w..." I said, my voice breaking up.

"What's wrong, Nick?" Alex said, looking at me with her soft brown eyes.

That did it.

I threw my arms around Alex and started crying. "Oh, Alex, I wanna go home! I want all this to end!" I shouted as Alex wrapped her own arms around me.

"We'll find a way home. Somehow," she said, holding me close and comforting me.

It was that moment a time portal opened behind us. I looked over Alex's shoulder into the portal. Sam and Clover were in it!

"Guys! Get through the portal!" Clover shouted.

"Clover? Sam! I thought Scam erased you from history!" I said, still broken up a bit.

"He just sent us through time! We got back a few minutes later. We need you two here now! The portal won't stay open for long!" Sam shouted over a whirlwind of noises coming from Scam's lab.

We didn't need to be told twice. Together, Alex and I hopped through the portal, traveling back to present time.

I really don't know how they opened that portal. And to tell you the truth...

...I didn't care.

All I cared about was Alex...

..and at the moment, defeating our nemesis once and for all.

And I knew just how I'd do that.

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_Back in the present time..._

Alex and I tumbled through the portal back into Tim Scam's lair. Sam and Clover were fighting Scam, yet they were getting whooped.

"Nick! We need to help them! How do we defeat Scam?" Alex asked me, a little uneasy.

"I'm already one step ahead," I said, jumping for the case holding the Psy-Stones. I did a karate chop that busted the glass casing. There were 7 Psy-Stones: in yellow, red, blue, green, light blue, pink, and silver. I used my psychic powers to levitate the gems towards me.

(Sonic Adventure 2 Main Theme, "Live and Learn", begins to play)

(AN: No, the following scene is not ganked from Sonic Adventure 2. I just felt that its main theme would fit this scene.)

I floated in the air, held up by my psychic energies. The Psy-Stones formed a circle around me and began to spin rapidly. The gems began inmbuing me with their energies, sharply enhancing my own psychic abilities. I clenched my fists, closed my eyes, and focused. The gems began to spin even faster, and suddenly, I felt something. It felt like a balloon releasing its air. My collected psychic energies had just released themselves, transforming me into the form I'd shown at WOOHP: my whole body glowing soft yellow, my hair thickening, turnnig gold, and standing up, and a flowing energy aura around me.

Scam, Sam, and Clover all stumbled back upon catching sight of my newly transformed self. "Wha...w-w-w-w-what is t-t-t-that?" Scam managed to get out.

"Witness my psychic powers at their full capacity," I said in a deep voice. "2 weeks ago, you may have had the advantage, but now, you don't stand a chance."

I flew towards Scam, and delivered an uppercut that sent him sprawling to the floor of the lab.

"Is that the best you've got?" Scam said, rubbing the spot where I socked him.

"Why, actually, no," I said simply, clapping my hands together so hard that they created a psychic shockwave. The force of the blast knocked Scam towards Clover, who performed a deftly-executed spin kick that sent the WOOHP rebel towards Sam.

The redhead followed by flipping forward and slamming Scam in the chest, which sent him flying to Alex. Relying on her Tai Kwon Do training, my brunette girlfriend flipped into the air and did a mid-air Skyhammer kick (my technique that I taught her) that sent Scam flying to me. I grabbed him by his shirt collar and flew towards the time machine. I set the coordinates for the distant past, and threw him into the time portal. I figured we could leave him there until WOOHP comes to pick him up. Besides, I still had something to do.

I slowly floated down to the ground. All 3 girls ran up to me, obviously surprised by my new look.

"Wow! Your psychic powers really came through, huh?" Sam said as she studied my new form closely.

"We still have one more thing to do," I said, flipping out my X-Powder, which now had a gold casing to reflect my new look. I dialed Jerry, who answered quickly. "What's the status, spies?"

"Mission complete, Jerry. Could you send someone to pick Tim Scam up from the year 1235? I have something to do," I said to our commander.

"Roger," Jerry stated before we cut transmission. I walked up to the time machine and set the portal's coordinates to 4:02 AM exactly 2 weeks ago, the exact time this whole ordeal started. This time, we had a chance to fix everything.

"Let's go, girls! This is our chance to set everything Scam's messed with back to normal!"

All 3 nodded and followed me into the portal.

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_4:02 AM,_ **My Parent's House, 2 Weeks Ago**

It was late night.

My whole family was asleep, including me and Alex, who was having a sleepover.

This time, Sam and Clover were waiting in the hallway thanks to our time warp, ready to alert us.

In my mom's room, she didn't even see someone with a weird-looking weapon in his hands, but when she heard the door slam open, she didn't even have time to gasp-

and that was our cue.

All 4 of us busted into the room just in time to stop Scam.

He fired at me, but I just batted it away with my psychic powers. Just so you know, I'm still in my ascended form. I opened my gold-studded X-Powder and called Jerry. It was then that Scam chose to run. I simply pressed a button that shot a beam out and froze Scam. Then, Jerry appeared on the screen.

"Jerry, I have one criminal ready for pickup at my parents' house," I simply stated.

"Son?" Mom asked in wonder.

"I'll explain tomorrow," I said as I returned to my normal state.

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_10:34 AM,_ **Beverly Hills High School, next day**

All 4 of us were on our way to Biology class when something clicked in my head.

"Girls, isn't it odd that the only ones who remember our little time trip are the 4 of us?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's weird. Even Jerry doesn't remember!" Alex asked.

"And that's no small thing with him!" I said jokingly.

We all started laughing as we poked fun at our commander. We hadn't laughed like this since the start of the whole ordeal.

I'm just glad it was finally over.

_-Fin-_

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Here's the preview for _Totally Spies!_ in: "Reflections from the Ice".

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"Alex, this is no good," I said, looking out the window at the gigantic blizzard that was attacking the city. "The blizzard's too rough. We're gonna have to wait it out. I hope Sam and Clover are having better luck with Gelee."

"Man, this cold is killing me!" Alex said, shivering from the cold spell.

"You know, Alex, there's another way to warm up," I said, smiling.

She looked at me for a few seconds before it hit her.

"_Oh!_" she said before wrapping her arms around me and snuggling close. I followed suit, and it started to feel warmer inside the abandoned office building we were trapped in.

"Feel better, Alex?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," she replied with a sigh of content.

"You know, I'm really glad we met, Nick. I can't imagine what life would have been like without you," Alex said to me.

"Yeah, it feels like yesterday," I said softly, closing my eyes and going into flashback mode...

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And that's a wrap! _Reflections From the Ice_ should be out by early May. See you then! - S.P.D. Gold Ranger


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